Today we highlight some famous friends that were born in early June.
Nancy Sinatra was born on June 8th of 1940. She logged four Billboard Top 10 hits and several others that should have been. She joined me on the air in 1996 and we talked about one of my favorite Elvis movies (Speedway) and her association with him.
There was a LOT I liked about Nancy Sinatra ...
And her singing and hit records was only one of them!
Two of those Top Ten Hits you mentioned went all the way to #1.
"These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" reached the top of the charts in 1966.
Many think that this was Nancy's first recording ... but she had actually been recording for four years prior by this point without success ...
So contrary to popular opinion, any success she eventually achieved was NOT as a direct result of a "little help from Daddy!" (Even 'tho Daddy DID own the record company she recorded for!)
However, her OTHER #1 Record WAS a duet that she recorded with her father in 1967 called "Somethin' Stupid" ... which always came across as a tad creepy when you actually listened to the lyrics ... this isn't a song that a father and daughter would typically sing together ... but boy, it was a smash!
Other Top Ten Hits include "How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?," her follow-up to "Boots" ... and my personal favorite, "Sugar Town," which went to #4 in early 1967. (I also loved the B-Side of that record, "Summer Wine," recorded as a duet with her Producer Lee Hazlewood. [If you want to give credit to the REAL reason for Nancy's chart success, THIS is the guy you should be acknowledging. Lee turned her into a recording star.] When we did our FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDES Poll a few years ago, this track came in at #3 ... so it would seem to be a favorite of many others as well.) kk
By the way, Me-TV-FM is featuring their semi-annual A-Sides / B-Sides Weekend this weekend ... tune in to hear LOTS of great B-Sides not always played on the radio anymore ... but always near and dear to our hearts. (kk)
My favorite group in the early '70's was Three Dog Night. It was a thrill to be able to have each of the three lead singers on the air with me at one time or another.
Today we pay tribute to Chuck Negron who was born June 8th of 1942. We talked about the many songwriters that contributed songs that helped toward Three Dog Nights success.
Three Dog Night was definitely one of MY favorite bands in the '70's as well.
I
was fortunate enough to have seen them perform (with the original trio
of lead singers) several times in the early '70's ... including a show
where a then unknown Elton John was their opening act!
As
Chuck mentions, Three Dog Night recorded a few of Elton's tunes before
anyone here in America even knew who he was. And this was one of their
band's greatest strengths ... pulling out GREAT material from mostly
unknown songwriters at the time and converting them to gold. Some of
their earliest hits were written by the likes of Nilsson, Laura Nyro,
Randy Newman, Paul Williams, Bonner and Gordon, who had written the #1
Hit "Happy Together" for The Turtles, Dave Loggins and Hoyt Axton, who
wrote both "Joy To The World" and "Never Been To Spain" ... both Top
Five Hits in the early '70's. (Hoyt's Mother Mae wrote Elvis Presley's big
breakthrough hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," some fifteen years earlier!)
"Joy To The World" was by far the group's biggest hit ... and Chuck had to push hard to get them to record it. (The others couldn't believe he wanted to sing a song about a bullfrog!) In
the end, he was proven right ... the song went all the way to #1 and
then stayed there for six weeks, in the process becoming the Biggest Hit
Single of 1971.
My third audio contribution comes from a man that had nothing to do with music.
He was born on June 8th in 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin.
He is easily our most famous former resident!
Frank Lloyd Wright was interviewed by WRCO at his home in Spring Green (which is about 20 miles from Richland Center.)
Today we feature a clip of the famous architect recorded in 1957.
He never had a hit record ... but perhaps we can play Simon and Garfunkel's So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright!
Happy to oblige!!!
"Frank Lloyd Wright" is one of my VERY favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs.
It was included on their "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album ...
And man, what a GRAND way to go out in style!
We've got a few FLW creations near us here in the Chicagoland suburbs and they have recently opened these up and started doing tours of these homes. (We keep saying we're going to go ... but then never do! Maybe this will spark the conversation again.) kk
Be sure to listen to Phil Nee's THOSE WERE THE DAYS radio program tonight on WRCO ...
WRCO AM FM Radio Richland Center Wisconsin
Just click on the 100.9 headphones and start streaming!
